Haunted Indiana by James A. Willis

Author:James A. Willis
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Stackpole Books
Published: 2004-11-15T00:00:00+00:00

Tragedy at the Coliseum

When it opened on the Indiana State Fairgrounds in the fall of 1939, the Coliseum was easily the largest event facility of its kind. With over eleven thousand seats, it quickly became the venue of choice for traveling shows, concerts, and sporting events. John F. Kennedy even spoke here in 1960 as part of his presidential campaign.

On Halloween night in 1963, more than four thousand people showed up at the Coliseum to enjoy the Holiday on Ice show. Unknown to everyone in attendance, as well as Coliseum employees, there was a faulty valve on one of the propane tanks used to help heat prepopped popcorn. As the show progressed, no one could know that propane gas was building up inside the enclosed Coliseum. At approximately 11:04, things reached their breaking point and an explosion rocked the Coliseum, sending bodies more than fifty feet into the air. Minutes later, a second blast ripped through the building, causing huge portions of concrete to come crashing down on the audience.

When the initial dust settled, those who weren’t injured quickly started digging through the debris in an attempt to find other survivors. In some instances, they were only guided by the moans and cries of the injured. Sadly, sixty-five people died almost instantly from the explosion. Another nine eventually succumbed to their injuries. More than four hundred men, women, and children were injured by the blast, making it one of the worst disasters in Indiana history.

When all of the injured had been moved to local hospitals, a call was made to coroner Dennis Nicholas to come out and help with the processing of all the deceased. Upon arriving at the Coliseum, Nicholas realized he had a problem on his hands. Namely, with so many bodies to identify, where would he find a location big enough to house them all? Nicholas came up with the unique decision to turn the floor of the Coliseum into a huge, makeshift morgue. So, after all of the deceased were arranged on blankets and cots on the floor of the Coliseum, friends and family members were allowed to walk up and down the rows, viewing the remains. Those in attendances said it was one of the most somber and depressing scenes they have ever witnessed.

Today, even though many years have passed and the building is now known as the Pepsi Coliseum, there still seems to be some sort of residual ghostly energy from the night of the explosion lingering inside. Reports claiming that those sitting in Section 13, said to have been at the center of the explosion, have often been overcome with a sense of sadness and of not being alone.

Additionally, several members of the Coliseum staff, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said they have felt ghostly presences on the portions of the Coliseum floor that may have been used for the makeshift morgue.

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